Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture: Absorption-desorption capabilities of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), piperazine (PZ) and monoethanolamine (MEA) tri-solvent blends

In this study, highly concentrated tri-solvent blends containing 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), piperazine (PZ) and monoethanolamine (MEA) were experimentally investigated for their potential capabilities in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. The concentration of both AMP and PZ were varied but their combined concentration (AMP PZ) was kept at 3 kmol/m(3) to limit the possibility of precipitation, the maximum PZ concentration (1.5 kmol/m(3)), and the total aqueous amine solution concentration (6 kmol/m(3)). At atmospheric pressure condition, the absorption process was carried out at 313 K and 15.1%v/v CO2 while 363 K was used for the desorption analysis. Experimental results indicated that all the AMP PZ MEA tri-solvent blends possessed higher cyclic capacities, initial desorption rates, and lower heat duties (50-54.5%) compared to the standard 5 kmol/m(3) MEA. For the initial absorption rates, only the tri-solvent blends with AMP/PZ molar ratios of 1 and 2 were higher than 5 kmol/m(3) MEA. These findings, most especially the significant reduction in heat duty by halve reveal the prospects of AMP PZ MEA tri-solvent blends for CO2 capture applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.